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Mei Takanami
Mei Takanami (''刻む波 メイ, Takanami Mei) '''is one of the main supporting characters in the series. She is a chunin-level member of Team Yuri and the heiress of the Takanami clan.Mei also claims that she is one Bad Bitch. Background Years prior to the Introduction Arc, Mei was born into the elite and disciplined Takanami family, and therefore, the heiress to the clan. Disappointed the child was a girl, her father Inoue decided to treat her like cattle by betrothing the girl to the branch family heir, Neji Hyuga. The two liked each other at sight. How could they not - a sweet girl who wanted to be good, and an appreciative little boy? From the point the boy became embittered with his fatalism, Mei grew up cloistered and sheltered and living under her father's verbal abuse, with few friends. From good friends, she and Neji visibly grew apart. She had Ryoji and Kaname. In the Academy, she performed very well because of her hard work, although had little confidence in herself. She was forbidden by her clan to socialize with Naruto. Personality Mei plays with little kids and has a basement full of them,recently she was aressted for child molestation, in her initial appearances, is shown to be a passionate young girl, with an edgy personality, who dislikes being restricted. She is determined to prove herself to Neji Hyuga and her clan that she is a worthy fighter. In the Chunin Exams, she shows herself to be very gentle, when she tried her best to heal Ryoji. Kaname comments on her, saying that she has the motivation but lacks the confidence to be what she wishes. She generally cares over her clan, and holds strong feelings for Neji Hyuga, from her hate to love. After her fight was cancelled in the last stage of the Chunin Exams, she is proven to become quite braver than her usual timid self, when she said she wasn't scared of anything now. Although she says she hates Neji, she wasn't above comforting the Hyuga after his fight with Naruto, which leads to a different relationship. From a shy and scared girl, Mei, in Part II, has matured into a steadfast and caring young woman with a masculine attitude. The first thing Naruto commented on her when he returned was that she looked different and talked more like a boy, not a young woman. She rarely complains - a constant trait, and is very assertive when training. She is a steadfast and quite sensitive to the feelings of others, crying easily one time when Neji verbally attacked her for her gentle ways. In contrast to her teammates, cunning and loner Kaname, loud and extraverted Ryoji, Mei was the steadfast but quirky teammate who balanced them. She is often praised for her good manners, although she tends to be rough at times. In her brief tenure with Team Guy, Guy praises her for her eagerness to prove herself, and tends to be berated and chided for taking things too far. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, she was adamant to protect Naruto, and kept on fighting even if she had a scar and barely stood. When Yuri chided her, she insisted she was okay. In Part I, she shows a bit of being unforgiving, and headstrong. In Part II, she visibly emerges as a more confrontational tomboy. Mei refuses to end conflicts without confronting her foes. Although she has a nice reputation, she is also notorious for her own faults. She is shown to be a heavy sleeper, and very unpredictable and laid-back. She does not forgive grudges easily, as seen in her flashbacks with Neji and her clan. It is constant that she holds a strong belief to be strong until the end, and as a result, she has become quite courageous in her attempts to be accepted by those she admires. Due to her change of personality from timid to boyish, Mei has noticeably grown a rather "Devil-may-care" attitude when it comes to her personal appearance, by cutting off her hair. Her tough-guy persona allowed her to hide her inner insecurities about her appearance, although she claims it is not important. Appearance meiloosehair copy.png|Mei's long hair, when loose Mei has long and straight brown hair that is always neat and combed, with indigo eyes and fair skin. As a child, she wore her long hair loose and traditional Japanese clothes, though when in civilian attire, rather long and baggy clothing. When she became a genin, she wore a large gray jacket over mesh armour and a shirt, with navy pants and her hair is tied up with bells in a bun. In the Pre-Shippuden fillers, she changes her outfit: replacing her bun with a high ponytail and braid, and trades her top for a Cheongsam top. She mostly starts donning mire masculine attire. In a flashback to the timeskip where Naruto was absent, she is seen wearing her hair loose and had it cut off in a mission with Neji. During this timeskip, her hair gets cut off, until she finally decided to cut it off shorter as a vow to herself to become stronger. In Part II, she wears her hair in a ponytail and qipao tunic over leggings and sandals. It is noticeable her hair is cut shorter and in layers. During the Shinobi World War arc, she dons the flak vest and wears her forehead protector in her forehead. In Part II, she is often chided for her lack of attention to her blossoming beauty, to which she doesn't care at all. By the time it hits the Shinobi World War arc, her silhouette has improved nicely and people are starting to notice how pretty she is, although her beauty pales in comparison to Tsunade's or Sakura's. Ryoji describes her looks as a wild beauty that paled in comparison to a young Tsunade. In the Shinobi World War Arc, she is commented to look quite mature, as her layered hair is growing out. Her newfound beauty is also remniscient to her ancestress, Izumi Takanami. mei copy 2.png Abilities During Mei's formative years, she was taught basic Kizanami and basic taijutsu, and C-class level basic Water Release ninjutsu. She was a diligent student, with good grades, always getting eighty percent out of one hundred in the exams, not a mediocre pupil. Yuri hints she is a natural at Genjutsu. As a Kizanami, Mei automatically uses her clan's techniques. Her fighting style is ninjutsu and taijutsu, and her genjutsu is only limited to dispelling it. Water Release Water Release is the kekkei genkkai of the clan. Kizanamis can channel water from their body, and also draw their release from the environment around them, and with their bodies, use it for combat purposes. There are different stances used to release this water, and it requires strict training to master the stances for the release. Simpler Releases can be done with simply summoning and manipulating the element on the spot. During Part I, Mei did not show much of her knowledge about Kizanami-style Water Release stances, instead, manipulating it with will. Althroughout the arcs in Part I, she is seen training by herself in the river to improve her Release, as her father detested her and left her training to her aunt Yuri and the Hyuga. She was occasionally able to create splashes of water the same way Gaara could control sand, using it rather sparingly, as she found it hard to control. She activated it during the Chunin Exam Arc. In the Pre-Shippuden filler arcs, she was able to show more improvement and started to use basic seals for greater releases of water, limited to creating bubbles and surfaces and ponds. During the timeskip, she grew much in training, creating medium-sized water whips. Because of her training, in Part II, Mei was able to maximize more strength in the area of Ninjutsu. She can create water needles from the tips of her fingers, water prisons, water arcs, water whips, waves, water bullets, water shields, and tsunamis. Yuri along with Neji and Lei supervised Mei's training to improve her water control so she could be acknowledged stronger than before. In the Shinobi World War arc, her father comments that she has surpassed his expectations when she created a huge wave to fight against Zetsu clones. Her level is quite high, although Yuri and Inoue, Mei's father are stronger than her. Taijutsu Mei certainly has a lot of potential in this area. She was agile enough to learn and she knew the basics, although she got a B in this class in the Academy. She used the Takanami-style taijutsu in Part I, kicking and punching. Her family deemed her weak in Part I. In Part II, her taijutsu gets a whole new level. She displays a whole new variety of her clan's signature taijutsu, which she was able to perform with relative ease, hinting that her clan is warming up to her. She is able to perform a high-level technique, Clenching, that requires precision and strength to knock the enemy down and she can replicate Takanami-style Taijutsu moves efficiently. She was able to destroy several metal weapons with a roundhouse kick, during the Invasion of Pain. In the Naruto Movie 2: Bonds, she appears to have decapitated many enemies using pushkicks, kneeing, and clenching. She performed the Heian Shodan technique, which was strong enough to overwhelm twenty white Zetsus crowding around her in the Shinobi World War. Mei also developed her natural strength, in order to perform her clan's techniques: she was shown jogging ten times around the village, warming up and sparring in order to keep up well. Her renewed strength stems from the training she bought on herself to be strong. She trained for a while with Team Guy so she could be taught and easily duplicate her clan's taijutsu with ease. Guy also exposed her to the Strong Fist taijutsu style so she could fight better without ninjutsu and not totally rely on it. Yuri decided that for her training in Taijutsu, simply training her under Guy was not good enough. She had Mei wear weights temporarily in her ankles. During this time period, Mei has noticeably grown stronger and wield also Strong Fist in her array of Taijutsu techniques. Chakra Control Originally, Mei proved very excellent in this area. She was the best at this area amongst her team, to which the boys were reluctant to praise her due to their initial opinions of her. Kaname thought her weak but useful and Ryoji saw her as a timid wallflower. Intelligence In Part I, Mei was quite known for this. Her test scores revealed that she is quite smart, with consistently high grades in the Academy. During her fights, she plans her battles, always coming up with a counterstrategy and she is quite good at gathering and analyzing Intel. Stats Relationships Neji Hyuga Betrothed to each other at a very early age, the two originally liked each other, and were jovial friends, until Neji's father died. During this time period, the two drifted apart; Mei started to hate him, and Neji took her for granted and was very angry that he was bound to her. During the Chunin Exam Arc, the two often find themselves interacting with each other, to their irritation and clash. After his fight with Naruto, he becomes much kinder to her, and for the next period of time, tries to win her favor in hopes of making peace with her, warming up to his clan and that if their contract be fulfilled, their relationship wouldn't suffer. In the Pre-Shippuden filler arcs, Mei is shown bringing him food and scolding him for his transgressions. Yuri thinks them a good match for each other: his maturity and genius for her irrepressible unpredictability and hard work. Moreover, in the pre-Shippuden filler arcs, she also plays vital roles in missions he leads, and is seen as a frequent visitor to the Hyuga compound. He often walks with her and spends time with her, becoming very close friends in Part II, to the point that others believe they are already a couple. In the anime and manga, there are subtle hints that they are together, and other characters often point out that they act sometimes like an old married couple due to their mannerisms. One example is of Mei bringing him food and he often accompanying her in missions and she waiting for him after missions to return home. In addition, in the ''Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den extra, she was seen worrying about Neji and even fought Naruto to avenge him; in the ending the said segment was based on, Mei appears to be holding hands with him. Ino often teases her about this, in the omakes. In the omakes, Mei often expasparates that she always is seen with him, due to which she had a few appearances in arcs without him. During his death, Mei appears to be in love with him, as she cried and was emotionally shattered and said she loved him. Her maturity is further pushed when she reveals she understands the circumstances of his death and seemed glad he was free from the curse and that his death would not be in vain. On this realization, she quickly heads along to the battle and fights on full power. As she fights, she remembers that he tried to protect countless times. In the other media, they have a notable relationship. In the Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den, she fights Naruto because of Neji, and they are often seen talking and sparring together. In the Road to Ninja, the two seem to harbor genuine affections for each other though they tend to overlook each other. Yuri Kizanami Because her father wouldn't train her nor pay her attention and give her enough, Yuri was entrusted the task of raising and training Mei. Yuri was a mother figure to Mei, an aunt, and a sister. She taught Mei practically everything she knew, and also encouraged the girl to be stronger in order to prove herself to those she admired and shunned her. Yuri also propels the relationship between Neji and Mei to blossom in order to secure Mei a definite place in the higher society of the Konoha ninja clans, as the Uchiha was gone. Yuri loves Mei, and wants the best for her niece, thinking of her as a daughter. Mei loves her aunt, no doubt, but at times, feels annoyed because of Yuri's occasional bouts of her disease: freudian narcisssism which brings out Yuri's selfish and diva side. Ryoji Hora Ryoji is Mei's teammate. The two met in the Academy, when Mei was being picked on. He and Kaname stood up for her, and the next day, Mei helped Ryoji master the basic jutsus. She became his study guide along with Kaname and the three of them when put together made a nice group. Because of her kindness and long hair with the addition of her steadfast nature, Ryoji developed a longstanding but unreturned huge crush doubled with affection for Mei, thinking she is the reason why he graduated well. However, Mei only sees him and loves him as a brotherly figure, and due to her feelings and betrothal with Neji, she cannot return Ryoji's love. Ryoji, during Part I, shows a level of admiration and willingness to cheer Mei on despite his own weaknesses as a ninja and man, to be stronger and supports her even when Neji picks on her. He often tries hard to protect her, as the series progresses, and be stronger even if he is a knucklehead and a gluttonous ninja. His unwanted crush on her takes it toll in the climax of Part I, in the Sasuke Retrieval Team Arc, when he tries to shield her from an attack from Kidomaru, when Mei was actually ready to sacrifice herself for Neji, but however, Ryoji is hurt badly. Both Neji and Ryoji in the hospital talk about her; Ryoji is ready to fight for her. In the Pre-Shippuden filler arcs, he attempts to ask her out on a date, and regularly complains about the time Neji and Mei spend together, to which his antic is left in failure. By the end of Part I, he vows to be stronger and starts to work too hard to woo Mei in order to secure her heart. In Part II, he assumes rivalry with Neji over Mei, which is futile for the betrothal, but this rivalry also has nice benefits: his training leaves him more fit and stronger, and lately, he has grown into a playboy, as he knows Mei cannot have him and he her. During the Invasion of Pain arc, he has accepted that Mei and Neji are meant to be, although he cannot let Mei go easily. In the Shinobi World War arc, he comforts Mei when she learns of Neji's death, and is seen smiling when he sees her more cheerful and willing to fight for others, accepting the terms of her beloved's death. Kaname Senju Kaname is a good friend and teammate of Mei's. He loves her like a sister and cares for her, platonically. At first, he belittles her abilities, then is proven wrong when she bested him in the K Dance Arc. He congratulates her, and ever since their relationship has been nice. However, in Part II, he often expresses his concerns with Ryoji about Mei's age and change of attitude, due to her growth, and takes initiative that if Mei is going out with someone, that person must be decent and not a pervert and if he is, Kaname declares that he and Ryoji would "cock-block" the boy and "pulverize" him. He expresses his irritation at Mei on her appearances with Neji, but also voices his relief at how she is not like Ino, who "thinks about boys all the time." Naruto Uzumaki Mei was forbidden to socialize with him, but she always greeted him politely. She could empathize with his loneliness as she was also deprived of the love of her parents, and his desire for acknowledgement. As a child, she tried hard to no avail to befriend him, although it was practically impossible. In the Introductory arc, she worries about him generally, and in the Chunin Exams, appears to be impressed with him. She tries befriending him in the Chunin Exams, but he forgets her name easily, as she is a bit of a wallflower. When the two see each other again in the Sasuke Retrieval Team arc, he tries to remember her name, to which she complains about. In the pre-Shippuden fillers, he was able to recall her name and even form a chummy relationship with her; Mei changed her appearance so that he would remember her, in addition. At first, he likes her, while she was scared of him. In Part II, he was unable to recognize her, due to her haircut, but acts friendly with her. The two often got together on missions, and their tag team often leads to comedic misadventures and sometimes, more effective missions. During the Curry of Life arc, she teased him openly about Sakura and did not hesitate to feed him curry, as she herself could tolerate such spicy meals. From their awkward relationship in Part I, in Part II, they have become very good friends. Kiba Inuzuka In Part I, the two had a rocky relationship. He thought she was a pushover and very withdrawn, and she thought he acted like an animal. Due to interactions in missions, during the timeskip between Part I and Part II and Mei's growth due to training, the two often fought in missions and always debated about points in strategy and role assignments. To him, she was no longer a pushover but a bossy tomboy, and to her, Kiba was an annoying idiot who used his mouth and nose to think and fight. Although she practically is considered "one of the boys" in Part II, Kiba pretty much gets in a word war with her because of their temperaments despite their maturity as Chunin. Sasuke Uchiha Due to their clan meetings, Mei met Sasuke as a child, and often sparred with him, while Yuri and Itachi hung out. Sasuke was shy around her, and Mei got acquainted with him briefly. She enjoyed his company and often teased him. After the massacre, the visits to the compound stopped, and when they interacted in the Academy, Sasuke often got a little annoyed at her teasing. Her care for him decreased through the years, and now, it is reduced to mere dislike, because of the facts that Sasuke was a traitor and murderer and refused to go back despite Naruto's struggles. She has a hatred of him, seeing that he was the cause of all Naruto's troubles. The last time they spoke was when they bumped into each other during a mission and Team Yuri clashed with Taka. He still hasn't forgiven her and Yuri for not telling him the truth. To him, Mei is an object of misplaced anger. Because of her anger at Sasuke, Mei has decided to avenge Neji and kill him herself if possible. Part I Introduction Arc Mei appears as a student who quietly listens for her team. She is seen looking relieved when her team is assigned and joins her team outside with Yuri. She accompanies Yuri when Kakashi and Yuri talk. On the way home, Mei passes by Team Guy, and she greets the team politely. Only Neji ignores her. Chunin Exam Arc Like the other teams, Mei and her team enter the Exams. In the first phase, she was able to answer all the questions in the Chunin Exams by herself and effectively sent them to Ryoji via Kaname's needles, with which a message was encoded. Strategically, Ryoji was put behind Mei and Kaname to cover him. In the next stage, her team almost got attacked by Gaara's, if it were not for Kaname, who told them to hide. Team Guy and Team Eleven clashed in the Forest of Death, by accident, when Ryoji bumped into Neji. Mei and Neji had a long verbal argument, Neji domineering over her, until the Sound ninja attacked Sakura. Mei offered to help with her senbon and almost would have intervened, had Sasuke not woken up in time due to the Curse Mark activating. She witnesses Naruto's promise and fights the preliminaries well. During this grace period, she is bothered by Neji, to which Kaname tells her to be strong. In the month that followed for the finals, she trains hard to surpass him, and manages to master a few Kizanami jutsus. She greets Naruto happily when he arrives, and the two talk. Before he steps into his match, Mei cheers him on. After his match, Mei talks to Neji, leading them to be seen together the next day talking over ramen. Invasion of Konoha Arc She is one of the remaining shinobi left to fight and easily dispels the genjutsu put on her. She proved her place as one of the last remaining fighters, managing to immobilize several Oto nin. Later, she attends the Third Hokage's funeral and promptly puts a flower on the Hokage's crypt. Sasuke Retrieval Team Arc As a back-up, Mei is sent to patrol next to the Team assigned. She is told to watch over Neji, and helps him fight Kidomaru, until he insists taking over. When he collapses, she takes him to the hospital and watches over him. This action hints romantic feelings. After he wakes up, he sees flowers on the vase next to him, and they are lavenders, hinting it is Mei. Pre-Shippuden Fillers Neji and Mei are often spotted talking together. In the filler arc episodes, she plays a large role in the Bikochu Arc. Hinata bumps into her, and Mei pats her back. On the last episode featuring the Bikochu arc, Mei serves the Hyuga tea, as a visitor. Neji takes the chance to thank her for the flowers to which she denies and tells him he was an idiot. In the Curry of Life arc, Mei arrives last-minute due to the fact she got lost on the way, and got into different comedic mishaps. K Dance Arc Team Yuri, paired with Team Guy, are sent to the city to protect a daimyo's daughter while she is attending idol concerts. Mei is assigned to perform with Neji, and the two teams struggle for days to learn performing. She performs "Bad Girl, Good Girl" well, and manages to deduce who the killer is. Ryoji tries to entice her into being his duet partner but she slaps him on the face and tells him that Yuri is the one who decides the rules, which is that she can't leave Neji at all. Part II Kazekage Rescue Arc She is one of the first to be seen with Naruto. He is quick to compliment her looks, and how she seemed so different. "You look boyish but pretty." She laughs and tells him to forget her looks, and tells him about how Neji has been kinder to her, chattering pleasantly with him. Naruto also asks her about his rival, Ryoji, to which Mei grins and says Ryoji is a full-fledged playboy. The team is assigned to accompany Team Kakashi and Team Guy, with Lei Kizanami acting as a helper and sensor. The two siblings bicker and end up singing and fighting each other's ear off in the speakerphones, until an exasparated Guy and Neji had to tear them apart for the rest of the mission. Nonetheless, the two manage to work together nicely enough to handle Deidara, until he immobilised the others. She tried to comfort Naruto at Gaara's death, and attended Chiyo's funeral. She talks with Kankuro and Temari, who comment on Ryoji's devotion to her. Temari teases Mei about Neji, but Mei tells her that they're just friends. Ironically on the way home, Naruto asks Neji if she and him are a couple, because they were "always together." Mei gets irritated and ignores him. Sasuke and Sai Arc Mei is arguing with Ryoji and Kaname over the way she is seen with Neji, to which she angrily responds that they aren't dating and that they should mind their own business, not stalk her. Kaname points out as an heiress, she needs to have a good reputation, to which Mei retorts that she's not even acknowledged by her clan, why be an heiress, and that she has a better life away from her clan and her own business. Ryoji is upset by her words and sulks. Kaname runs after him to confront him. She angrily storms out to forget about the two teammates for a day and goes to buy and look for new books, even adult books in the bookstore. After buying them, she bumps into Sai, who comments on her appearance, calling her "a cute girl." She rolls her eyes. After Sai's attack, she encounters Shikamaru. Later, both of them confronted Sai, and befriended him. Sai recognizes her as the "cute girl" but never recognized her due to her outfit change, saying how tomboyish she was. After the shuffle with Sai, Mei is reminded of her teammates. Thoughtful, she buys dango and onigiri for them and drops the food off for her teammates, attached with a note that said "I'm sorry." Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc Mei was sent as a last-minute back-up by Yuri to assist with the mission. She aided Shikamaru in binding Sora, complaining that she was enjoying a date when she just had to be interrupted. Hidan and Kakuzu Arc Yuri sent Mei after the Niju Shotai , under the belief that the Akatsuki might kill one of them. Shikamaru grumbles about her unwanted presence, to which Mei threatens to throttle him and work with her to protect more lives. She joined the coordination of an attack on Hidan, which failed. Together with Shikamaru, they pieced together that Hidan was doing a ritual that harmed both Asuma and him, but Hidan was immortal and therefore unaffected at all by this ritual. She and Ino tried healing Asuma but he died, and she patted Shikamaru's back when he cried. She attended Asuma's funeral and was summoned for a clan meeting with her father discussing the Akatsuki and that his children be included in all plans to break the organization down as soon as possible. This fuels her to start training longer. Three Tails Arc Mei was assigned to watch over Team Three, shifting between Team Three and Team One, due to her combat skills and excellent chakra control. Itachi Pursuit Arc Before Naruto leaves, she tells him to be safe. After this greeting, Mei meditates and starts to train more. She pores over piles of books. Invasion of Pain Arc Mei did not die during the attack. She continued fighting. However, she dispatched Shadow Clones to bring the other civilians to safety, believing it was her duty to fight and die for her village. She told Neji, Naruto was fighting Pain alone, and tells him to calm down when he was so upset Naruto was being reckless in fighting Pain alone. She convinces him to stay behind, as she "needed him." She joins her fellow villagers in cheering for Naruto. Konoha History Arc She features in the Neji Gaiden arc, appearing as a supporting character. She helps Tenten get help so they could retrieve Hinata back. Five Kage Summit Arc Mei joined her other fellow shinobi to decide what is in store for Sasuke. Mei is forced to agree with Kaname's decision that he believes the best way is to kill Sasuke. Mei challenges his answer, saying that a nice talk would do much better than murdering someone. She almost loses her temper, and continues to rave like a debater, until Neji tells her of the costs people have paid with their lives for Sasuke and his criminal vendetta. She is dispatched to join Shikamaru to tell Team 7 of their decision, although Mei tells him she believes that Naruto mayhap save Sasuke, even if the probability is a low suggestion. When Ino cries, Mei yells and punches Kiba for his shouting at her, and is able to emphathize with Ino's feelings and hastily tells her to be strong. When Naruto returns, Mei tells him of the decision and adds her own opinion. Confining the Jinchuriki Arc Mei attends meetings with her clan and the village to start preparing for war. She is spotted training in her underwear in the river to perfect her clan stances, but is caught by Neji who tells her that she must dress and go to the clan meetings. He escorts her there, and she sees him off. Her father hands over tasks to both Lei and Mei, and has sparring sessions with them. Mei is sent away, as her teammate Kaname arrives with a summon for her that the Medical Team needs her to get books. Mei helps, but is forced to watch when her father begins teaching Lei some of the clan's most secret techniques. Shinobi World War Arc She is assigned to the Second Division to back up the Hyuga, with her improved skills in taijutsu and ninjutsu. Upon being sent to intercept the White Zetsu Army, Mei leads the melee with her taijutsu, going a little easy on the Zetsus. Kaname warns her that she's slacking off, to which she hits him playfully on the head. It is noticeably she uses Strong Fist taijutsu, intending to go all out if needed, lest she loses someone. Neji chuckles and she banters with him. She rotates around protecting her team and the Hyugas. After Neji collapses due to fatigue, she gives him a rough scolding and he pats her on the head. She concentrates on fighting, with countless personal victories. Yuri and Inoue praise her courage on the battlefield. After her group mobilised the Zetsus, she joined to fight the Masked Madara. However, her attention is called away by another enemy, and she leaves with a peck on Neji's cheek, saying he'd "see me (Mei) later." She is seen fighting more, when Kaname interrupts her, to tell her the news of Neji's death. In reaction, Mei is emotionally shattered, but puts up a bold front, and holds her beloved's corpse in her arms and remembers all of her memories of him. She wishes she had shown him she truly loved him and wanted him to be hers and bade him a goodbye, by promising a part of her old self with him. When Ryoji asked her why was she so calm, she tells Hiashi and Hinata and Naruto she loved Neji, and that she was willing to go do the same thing for her friends, insisting her loved's sacrifice was worth fighting for and that he was finally free. Inoue watches his daughter lose the man she betrothed to and calmly tells her he was proud of her, "a contrast to me." This refers to the way he reacted when he lost his wife: he blamed Mei for losing her and refused to move on. In other media Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den Mei is depicted as an ill-tempered but kind tomboy. She appears to be quite notorious and admired for her skills in Konoha Gakuen, as Ino and Sakura gushed over mentioning her, although Hinata points out that Mei would do such a thing for Neji. Even before Naruto defeated Neji, he aroused Mei one time when he broke in the martial arts club, demanding to fight the leader, who happened to be her. In this universe, Mei is good friends with Team Yuri and Team Guy, and holds rivalry with Ino and Kiba, and an excellent martial artist, almost on par with Neji, as she is mentioned to have practiced Kung Fu, Karate, with black belts, and also the most rigorous martial art, Muay Thai. Rock Lee mentions that she has an amazing kick, and is very cute, but most boys are too scared of her fighting skills to notice her assets as a girl. Sasuke and she also clash but she can be nicer: this is shown twice - when she fought to help Naruto and when she comforted Naruto over losing Sasuke and told Naruto that Sasuke had his loss when he turned his back on Naruto. Naruto Movie 6: Road To Ninja Alternative universe Mei is very feminine, but a harsh and mean ringleader who relies on poisons and weapons and her acting skills to prey on her enemies, as well as her speed. In the alternative universe, she appears to be a leader of a gang and is notorious for her harsh personality and countless break-ups and flings with others, especially Sasuke Uchiha. She hits Naruto and calls him stupid, and she is often seen flirting, bickering with and beating up Neji. Alternate world Ryoji mentions that Mei and Neji have hooked up a dozen times, though never take the relationship as seriously as their betrothal. She bullies Ino and often complains that Ino is such a pushover. Despite his pervy side and their lightly-taken hookups, Neji seems to harbor a complex affection for her. In the genjutsu world, Mei appears to enjoy competing and singing in karaoke and hitting targets and flirting rather than her usual hobbies in the normal world, which are analyzing poetry, training and meditation. She is deprived of her ill temper and her occasional loneliness. Instead of being seen with Neji, she often appears on an independent basis, and often performs and challenges Ino to beat her at singing. Her talent is based on deception, infiltration and long-distance combat with some midrange. Her clan seems to have accepted her and some clanmates of her admire her power. Despite the change of abilities, Sakura and Naruto wonder at her progress in over all, even her Kizanami jutsus. Her clan accepts her and has taught her high-level techniques, although she rarely uses them, but she has faulty genjutsu. In the Road to Ninja movie, her hair is cut short and she often wears clothes that expose her skin, hinting her nature and she wears her forehead protector around her neck or as a belt. She dons provocative clothes. According to Mei's owner, her design is partly inspired by K-pop band members Minzy of 2NE1, Ham Eun Jung of T-ARA but mostly, Yoon Baek Hee of Dream High's design has inspired Mei's creator to change Mei's design into cutting her hair short and having a cruel outlook and passion for performance. Creation and conception The concept of Mei originally began as a "cute" and feisty girl with blue hair and a water release kekkei genkkai. She was fashioned to be "strong" but "a girl who was tough yet couldn't bring it out until she had to be pushed." As the years passed by, Mei was redesigned to "a protective and strong girl who works hard." In her Part I design, she had bunned hair that was very long and soft and always put up and baggy clothes. As Part I progressed, her clothes grew less baggy to suit her transition from being a shy and timid girl to a girl who was braver. During the Pre-Shippuden fillers, her outfit is changed with some differences due to the growth of her character. Noticeably, Mei starts to sport more active outfits to conform to her new training: sparring with Neji and her aunt, to suit MMA. Her fighting style is mixed, based mostly on Muay Thai and karate and some kung fu. Trivia *Her first name means "beautiful," and "daughter" while her last name is translated loosely to "high waves." *Mei's hobbies are training in martial arts, meditation and anaylzing poetry. *Mei's theme song is Shionari meaning "roaring tides." *Despite her dislike for the strict rules of her clan, Mei obliged to her clan's wishes to represent them in the War. *Mei's favorite word is tsuyoku meaning stronger. *Mei's favorite foods are curry, dumplings and herring soba and her least favourites are bitter gourd, and turnips. *Mei wishes for a match with Neji and wishes for a rematch with Lei Kizanami. *Mei's favourite phrase is "as high as honor."( Meiyo to takai, 名誉と高い) *Mei's creator originally created Mei after seeing a copy of a page in the Naruto manga redrawn in Part II. She was originally a medic-nin, and was teamless. *Mei's personality is described as "generally edgy, wanting, passionate, unforgiving and headstrong." *Takanami-style taijutsu is based from muay thai, dragon-style kung fu and Shotokan karate. *It is hinted that her possible opponents in the finals of the Chunin Exams would be either Kaname or Momoi. Reference -http://nejiholic.deviantart.com -http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22988.asp - Category:DRAFT